CSB team investigates Connecticut power plant explosion
11 Feb 2010
Washington – The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has sent in a team to the site of a fatal explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems Plant in Middletown, Connecticut. The explosion on 7 Feb during pre-commission test work is reported to have killed five people and caused dozens of serious injuries and extensive off-site damage.
Kleen Energy’s 620 MW combined cycle natural gas-fired power plant had been under construction since February 2008. The plant was being built under a fixed-price, turnkey EPC contract by O&G Industries utilising Siemens gas and steam turbines and was said to feature a best-in-class emissions profile. Construction was scheduled to be completed in mid-2010.
“The CSB’s investigative team will examine the activities that were ongoing at the time of this accident, including any gas purging, as indicated by initial media reports,” said Don Holmstrom, CSB lead investigator.
The accident happened just days after the CSB had issued urgent recommendations that the national fuel gas codes be changed to improve safety when gas pipes are being purged - cleared of air - during maintenance or the installation of new piping.
The call, on 4 Feb, stemmed from the CSB’s ongoing federal investigation into the June 9, 2009, natural gas explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim production facility in Garner, North Carolina, which caused four deaths, three critical life-threatening burn injuries, and many other injuries.
The CSB also issued a safety bulletin on gas purging in October 2009, because of the occurrence of multiple serious accidents during purging operations. Key safety lessons described in the bulletin included purging gases to a safe location outdoors away from ignition sources, evacuating non-essential workers during purging, using combustible gas monitors to detect any hazardous gas accumulations, and effective training for personnel involved in purging,
Holmstrom leads the CSB’s Western Regional Office located in Denver, Colorado, and led the agency’s investigation into the 2009 purging accident at the ConAgra facility in Garner, North Carolina.
The Kleen Energy plant is to be operated by North American Energy Services and managed by Power Plant Management Services. The project won a competitive tendering process run by the state of Connecticut and the company had entered into a 15-year capacity agreement with Connecticut Light and Power for the electricity produced by the plant.
Energy Investors Funds (EIF), a private equity fund active in the US energy and electric power sector arranged financing for the project. A total of $985 million of senior secured bank loans and a revolving credit facility, with EIF as the majority owner of the project, and the balance owned by the developer group, White Rock Holdings Associates, LLC.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as joint lead arranger and sole bookrunner for senior secured loans raised to help finance the construction of the project. The bank loans were rated as investment grade (BBB-) by Fitch Ratings, acccording to information on the Dealpedia website.
